The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus such as a notebook computer, and more particularly, to a portable electronic apparatus in which a pack-shaped device is removably set in a housing.
In the field of portable computers in which characters and graphics have conventionally been playing important roles, there is a strong tendency toward the so-called multimedia systems that also use animations, voices, etc. synthetically. Since the animations and voices handled in the multimedia systems involve massive data that surpass character information, the data must be recorded in large-capacity optical disks. Accordingly, there have recently been developed and commercialized portable computers that are mounted with CD-ROM drives for reading data recorded in optical disks.
Further, reductions in size and weight of the housing of portable computers are being expedited for improved portability. These days, for example, A5-size notebook computers are followed by smaller B5-size versions that are spreading gradually.
As the housing is thus reduced in size and weight, the mounting space therein naturally tends to become narrower and narrower. Owing to this spatial restriction, it is difficult to house a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive simultaneously in one housing. Recently, therefore, novel portable computers have been commercialized in which a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive can be alternatively set in the housing. The computer housing is further provided with a removable battery pack, display unit, keyboard, various connectors, slots, etc.
In one such portable computer, a pack holding portion for alternatively holding the CD-ROM drive or floppy disk drive and a battery holding portion for holding the battery pack are formed opening in the side faces and bottom surface of the housing. When the CD-ROM drive or floppy disk drive and the battery pack are set in their corresponding holding portions, they constitute parts of the side faces and bottom surface of the casing, individually.
In the portable computers having the housing thus reduced in size, most of the outer surface of the casing is composed of the pack-shaped device and the battery pack attached to the housing, covers overspreading the connectors and slots, etc. Thus, the area of those portions of the outer surface of the housing itself which are exposed directly to the outside is very narrow.
It is becoming difficult, therefore, to add any other holding portions for holding other devices and optional parts to the outer surface of the housing in an open state. Accordingly, these alternative holding portions cannot be easily formed by utilizing spaces that remain in the casing, so that the space efficiency of the housing cannot be improved without hindrance.